Ken Fowler

At Cross Trails In The Desert, 1988

Kenneth Stewart Fowler
29 Aug 1940 - 23 Jan 2018

Clubs & Associations

Obituary

We lost our friend Ken Fowler on January 23, 2018 as a result of a stroke he suffered two weeks earlier. Ken was a friend to many in the Seattle community, and was a familiar sight on the streets of Capitol Hill as he took his daily exercise walks. He was born in Rossland, British Columbia, Canada. The son of a mining engineer, he also lived in Colorado, Nevada, California, Hawaii, and India.

After university graduation and two years as an officer in Naval intelligence, Ken moved to San Francisco, started a new life, and earned a PhD in Forestry from the University of California, at Berkeley. He then taught Forest Conservation at the University of Toronto, worked for the California Dept. of Forestry, and then joined Weyerhaeuser Corporation to develop computer models for sustainable forestry practices. Following that, he set up his own consulting business in Seattle-Customized Computing Services. In the 1980's Ken began volunteering for the Seattle Gay Clinic, where he was president of its Board when the clinic's volunteers launched the Chicken Soup Brigade. He then went to work for the Seattle-King County Public Health Department's AIDS Prevention Project, where he served as a data specialist.

Ken was actively involved in many causes, including the Washington State Bar Association's Drug Reform Task Force, and in collecting signatures for Washington's Death with Dignity Law. He was a member of the Group Health (now Kaiser) Capitol Hill Advisory Committee and Senior Caucus. In addition, he was often president or treasurer of his condo association. Ken enjoyed the Seattle Symphony, as well as gay hiking, square dancing, and skiing groups with friends. For years he coordinated Page Boyz, a monthly book discussion group for gay men. Friends described him as quiet, interested in others, and intellectual-doing linear algebra and Sudoku to keep his mind nimble. People still wonder about Ken's age, which he consistently declined to disclose. He is survived by his sister Helen and nephew Eric in Oakland, California, niece Sonya in Edmonds, and by many loving friends.

Ken's friends and associates are invited to a gathering on Sunday, March 4th, 2-4 pm at the
Miller Community Center,
330 19th Avenue East.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Ken's favorite organizations would be appreciated-including the ACLU, Common Cause, Seattle Pride Foundation, and the UW School of Music from which his mother graduated.^[1]

Remembrances

Very early days Puddletown Squares dancer KEN FOWLER has passed away.
A dedicated club dancer through the early 90’s, Ken was always happy to fill-in any square and was a solid fixture at our Fly-ins, IAGSDC Conventions and the Timberline.